Remember

Chapter 5

"Will you hurry up and get off the phone? I gotta call my girl too man!" complains Petey. 

Gerry had been on the phone with Emma for about ten minutes now, and everyone was getting a bit antsy. 

"Hey Alan!" I call over. He comes up to where I was saving his spot in line. 

"Thank you." he says, squeezing in. I squeeze out. I don't really have anyone to call. 

"Oh, don't do this right now." Gerry says to Emma. 

"Oh, shh everyone listen." I say. 

"Hey man, what is this, wild kingdom?" asks Petey. 

"Shut up y'all!" Gerry yells. 

"Petey quiet, listen." I say. 

"I love you sugar." mumbles Gerry. 

Petey and everyone else burst into laughter. "Ahahaha! I love you sugar!"

~

"What are you doing? Forty four stack, you're supposed to know your jobs." I yell in frustration. Coach Boone had left me to oversee a few things while he and Yoast went to work on strategies. 

"Campbell, you're playing selfish, show-off football. Hold our man down." scolds Gerry. 

"Don't you single me out like that." says Julius defensively. "What, you think I'm stupid or something?"

"Look, I don't need you up in my face-" says Gerry, getting up in Julius' face. 

"Hey!" I yell. "Break it up! HEY!"

They back off angrily. I really need to get myself a whistle. I think to myself. 

Boone comes back with Yoast. 

"Alright, let's get some tackling practice in. Caroline, the nurse wants to see you." he says. 

"All right." I say warily. She probably didn't approve of all my football participation. 

I walk down there as quickly as I can with my crutches, which I mostly didn't use anymore. 

"Come on in. Let me check on your ankle." she says cheerily. I uneasily sit down. 

She unwraps my foot, and I wince at the sight of it. 

"Well, it looks almost healed!" she says with a smile. 

"It looks disgusting." I correct. My usually pale ankle was a nasty shade of purplish brown, and slightly swollen. 

"It should look like normal by tomorrow. That's just swelling from all the quick healing." she says. She takes my crutches. "Just keep it wrapped up until tomorrow, and you're good to go!"

"Thanks" I say awkwardly. I casually walk back to the field, where they're doing tackle practice. 

"Hey, where are your crutches?" asks Gerry. 

"Don't need 'em anymore." I reply. "Want to see my ankle?" I don't wait for a response. I unwrap it, and Gerry gives a disgusted face. 

"Eww" say Alan and Ray, pausing for a moment. They're almost immediately tackled by Julius and Blue. 

"Cowards won't tackle! Cowards won't block! Cowards won't go after a fumble!" yells boone encouragingly, as the guys practice quick-steps. 

"Caroline, go set up the waters. " says Yoast. 

"Come on, Sheryl." I say. She runs over to help me, and pretty soon, we have a whole table full of water cups. "I think we have enough." i tell her. She giggles. 

"Coach, we need a water break. We've been out here all day." complains Blue. 

Boone stops the team. "What did you say?"

"We need a water break." repeats Blue.

"You need a water break." says Boone angrily. "Caroline, get over here!" I run over. "Water is for cowards. Water makes you weak. Water is for washing the blood off that uniform, and you don't get no blood on my uniform. You must be outside your mind!" yells Boone. He gestures for me to get in line with the guys. "We are going to do up-downs, until Blue is no longer tired, and thirsty!"

Everyone starts running in place, so I do the same. When Boone blows the whistle, they all drop down to a push-up position, and come back up. I hadn't been practicing all day, and I was already tired. Boone blows the whistle again. "Ah!" yells everyone as they drop down. Whistle. Drop. Whistle. Drop. It seems like forever before he blows the whistle twice, signalling us to stop. He gestures for me to go back to the water table, so I do. I drink a cup of water before all the guys come over. Sheryl and I prepare to hand out water. 

Rev bends down to get a cup, but Ray grabs him. "Hey, wait your turn, boy!"

"Who you calling boy, cracker?" asks Julius, grabbing Ray and turning him around. 

Gerry jumps on Julius, and they crash into the water table, knocking it over on me. 

"Quit it you jerks!" screams Sheryl, throwing paper cups at them. 

"Go on, Sheryl, I got it." I say, gently nudging her away. I step over the table and forcefully yank Gerry off of Julius. I pull up Julius, then grab Ray off of Rev. 

"Get! Off!" I scream at Ray. 

He angrily gets off of Rev, and I help him up. 

"Oh, now you're on their side?" asks Ray loudly. 

"Well, I kind of don't want to be on yours!" I yell in response.

"Come on. Let's get water inside." he says to Gerry, who gives me a disappointed look. The other guys follow. I earn a few thanks from Rev and Blue. 

I sigh and start picking up the table, followed by the cups. Alan stays and helps me. I struggle to pick up the water tank, so Alan helps me out. 

"You're not gonna get water?" I ask him in annoyance. 

"Not thirsty." he replies, which is an obvious lie. He pants for breath, and is covered in a shine of sweat. I pick up two unused cups that hadn't been as badly damaged and fill them up. I hand him one, and he gulps it down. I hand him mine, and he drinks it too. 

"Thank you." he says tiredly. 

"Want anymore before I dump it?" I ask. He takes another cup of it and I dump out the rest in the woods a few yards back. I start folding up the table, and Alan carries it in, while I take the water tank. The guys are still lining up at the fountains inside for water. 

Gerry gives me another disapproving look, but is cut off because it's his turn at the water fountain. 

~

"What were you doing?" Gerry asks me angrily. 

"I was brushing my teeth?" I ask in confusion. "And I'm about to go to bed?"

"No, earlier, at the water tank." he says. "You totally defended them!"

"You mean Rev?" I ask. "Because he was at the water first and Ray pushed him down? Are you angry because I defended a black guy?"

"Yes!" he says. "Because I'm your brother!"

"And you're white." I say. "And you're angry because I defended a black guy over you, when you and Ray were clearly in the wrong."

"Goodnight." he says scornfully. 

"Night." I reply casually. 

I climb into my bunk. Everyone else is already in bed.